New Delhi: The world’s highest peak, Mount Everest, is overcrowded these days. Several videos and photos that have emerged show long queues at the summit, triggering major concern about the safety of the trekkers. The purported video captures a reckless queue at the summit covered with snow and ice . With the presence of snow and ice, the peak turns slippery and dangerous when it gets overcrowded. The latest photos showing the rush hour at Mt. Everest have evoked reactions of disbelief from the netizens. One Twitter (X) user from India, compared the situation at the Everest camp equivalent to traffic at Mumbai's Dadar Railway Station. “Mount Everest Ko Dadar Station Bana Diya Hai (Mount Everest converted into Dadar station)," an X user wrote.

Several other reactions poured in after the video capturing a massive traffic jam on Mount Everest went viral on social media.  One user wrote, “Not a joke but quite a serious climb.”

Video Of Traffic Jam At Mount Everest

Everest Traffic Video Garners 6.5 Million Views

The video has gone viral across social media platforms, garnering more than 6.5 million views. Reacting to the video post, one user said, "You risk your life to get to the highest point in the world and when you get there....there is a queue. There is some hidden meaning here."

Another wrote, "This is the opposite of the spirit of climbing mountains. I believed climbing mountains was to escape the rat race world below and achieve a unique experience." Yet another user added, “It's dangerous. Not just for them, but the guides and Sherpas who pay to take them up there.”

Overcrowding May Have Led To Accident Involving British Trekker

As the video surfaced, experts fear overcrowding on the world's highest mountain may have played a role in causing the collapse of a cornice - an overhanging mass of hardened snow on the edge of a precipice - which led to the disappearance of Daniel Paul Paterson, 40, and Pastenji Sherpa, 23.

The pair have not been heard from since they reached the summit at around 4.40 am local time on Tuesday and are feared dead.

Paterson and his guide ran into trouble after ice collapsed and fell on them near the Hillary Step, just below the summit at around 8,800 metres, according to Lapka Sherpa.

The Everest guide said they had 'heroically' reached the top of the world's highest peak before going missing as they descended.

Overcrowding on Everest has become of increasing concern to experts and officials in recent years. In 2019, 11 people died between March to May during the climbing season, prompting Kul Bahadur Gurung, general secretary of the Nepal Mountaineering Association to say that 'there were more people on Everest than there should be'.

The Everest Queue: What The Viral Photo Doesn't Tell You

While viral videos and photos depict long lines on Mount Everest, they don't reveal the whole story. Yes, there were many climbers, but the cause of these queues lies elsewhere: bad weather. Harsh winds and storms often restrict climbing opportunities to just a few days. With such a narrow window, hundreds of climbers and their Sherpa guides are forced to make their summit attempts simultaneously, creating bottlenecks along the route and causing queues.

This isn't a typical situation. Everest usually offers climbers two weeks of favourable weather with calm winds. In 2022, for example, clear skies and gentle breezes lasted an entire month, allowing hundreds to reach the peak without experiencing overcrowding.